Dune House / AToT – Arquitectos Todo Terreno

Dune House / AToT – Arquitectos Todo Terreno

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Text description provided by the architects. The arrival at the pampas of the large horizontal plane that enters the sea generates an opposite effect, which is the presence of a dune that is implanted up to 1km above the coastal territory. In this sense, the presence of urbanization prevents the natural movement of sand, producing different problems along the coast that shorten the useful beach surface over time. In the case of Balneario Reta, the accumulation of sediments against the planted coastal forest produced, in a couple of decades, the growth of a dune that can reach up to 12 meters in height, generating a natural barrier that separates the town from the beach.

Located in the forest immediately behind the sand wall, the house is generated from the premise of joining both sides and obtaining a dwelling space that has views over the sea. The project is shaped as a stereotomic piece with a width of seven meters that opens to the visuals and is supported by a stilted structure that merges with the verticality of the lower forest. In this sense, the house disappears in its relationship with the surrounding urbanization and the upper box that emerges from the treetops is only distinguishable from the upper dune.

The house rises from the ground, leaving the natural development of the coastal dune free and allowing the development of shade in the lower forest during the summer. The access is generated on the first floor with the private spaces that obtain their privacy in their proximity to the sand wall and the surrounding forest. The second floor houses the common spaces that expand towards a terrace over the dune that allows views of the sea and is protected from the winds, also controlling the thermal comfort of the upper level.

The house is related to the ground through ramps and bridges linking the lower level with the upper one and serving as structural bracing of the architectural piece. In this way, views of the distant sea are achieved, since the slopes and width of the dune above the house do not allow it to be seen from the beach. The house is only partially discovered on arrival where natural movements on the paths such as the bridge, enhance its intrinsic condition as a walkway. The spaces are resolved using modulation of three and four meters horizontally and vertically, saving construction elements in the sections as much as possible.